3. LOW-RISE WALK-UP

The Low-Rise Walk-Up building typology is an attached, two- to four-story multi-family residential building. The first floor is built several feet above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) or Design Flood Elevation (DFE), allowing for an additional layer of privacy and the option of parking underneath. The building has a relatively shallow setback from the street edge, which provides space for pedestrian access and flood-resilient features in the Resilient Streetscape Transition Zone, such as green infrastructure, saltwater tolerant plantings, and flood damage-resistant landscape materials. Blue/green roofs can provide additional green space for urban gardening, aesthetics, heat management, and rain catchment for irrigation.

If off-street parking is provided, it is either sited at the rear of the development or as an integrated “tuck-under” parking garage, and not prominently viewed from the public right-of-way. Access to the parking may be provided by a mid-block driveway or alley behind the development.

The building is typically located along a local street with relatively low traffic volumes. These streets could have a travel lane in each direction, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and on-street parking.

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Key Climate Resilient Design Guidelines

1. Provide a Resilient Streetscape Transition Zone. Include saltwater tolerant plantings, flood damage-resistant landscape materials, and green infrastructure.

2. Provide building façade enhancements with street trees and other green elements to soften or screen parking from public view.

3. Provide wet floodproofed basement or storage area below BFE or DFE.

4. Site critical mechanical and electrical systems on the roof, including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) and power generators.

Sources:

1. 1. Taylor Cullity Lethlean with Wright + Associates. “Rain Garden”. Auckland, New Zealand.
   2. TOD. “Low-Rise Façade”. Honolulu, HI.
   3. Indianafoundation.com. “Crawl Space Dehumidifier”.
   4. Dilkhush Landscaping. “Rooftop Garden”. New Dehli, India.

Resilient Streetscape Transition Zone Detail

1. Cycle track

2. Permeable pavement

3. Transitional landscape

4. Parking entrance

5. Building lobby or office use to promote active frontage

6. Supporting infrastructure

7. Wet-flood proofed crawl space

All Resilient Transition Zones must be ADA compliant